A cloaking apparatus and method are disclosed herein. The cloaking apparatus for cloaking a target object using meta-material includes a compensation unit, and a cloaking cell. The compensation unit is disposed in a second space surrounding part of a first space including the target object, and is composed of a first meta-material having a predetermined negative refractive index. The cloaking shell is configured to surround part of the compensation unit, and is composed of a second meta-material. The negative refractive index may be a negative refractive index that is adapted to cloak the target object by compensating for the positive refractive index of the first space.

A cloaking apparatus and method are disclosed herein. The cloaking apparatus for cloaking a target object using meta-material includes a compensation unit, and a cloaking cell. The compensation unit is disposed in a second space surrounding part of a first space including the target object, and is composed of a first meta-material having a predetermined negative refractive index. The cloaking shell is configured to surround part of the compensation unit, and is composed of a second meta-material. The negative refractive index may be a negative refractive index that is adapted to cloak the target object by compensating for the positive refractive index of the first space.

A material platform with controllable emissivity and fabrication methods are provided that permit the manipulation of thermal radiation detection and IR signal modulation and can be adapted to a variety of uses including infrared camouflage, thermal IR decoys, thermo-reflectance imaging and IR signal modulation. The platform is a multilayer W.sub.xV.sub.1-xO.sub.2 film with different W doping levels (x values) and layer thicknesses, forming a graded W-doped construct. In WVO.sub.2 films with a total thickness <100 nm, the graded doping of W spreads the originally sharp metal-insulator phase transition (MIT) to a broad temperature range, greatly expanding the temperature window for emissivity modulation.

A thermal signature generating device, the device comprising: at least one thermal radiation emitting element, each of the at least one thermal radiation emitting elements extending between two spaced-apart opposite solid surfaces defined by two opposite electrodes and comprising an array of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), the array being connected by its two opposite ends to the two opposite electrodes, respectively, and extending along a space between the electrodes, the electrodes providing electrical current through the thermal radiation emitting element, causing the thermal radiation emitting element to emit thermal radiation for generating the thermal signature.

A thermal signature generating device, the device comprising: at least one thermal radiation emitting element, each of the at least one thermal radiation emitting elements extending between two spaced-apart opposite solid surfaces defined by two opposite electrodes and comprising an array of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), the array being connected by its two opposite ends to the two opposite electrodes, respectively, and extending along a space between the electrodes, the electrodes providing electrical current through the thermal radiation emitting element, causing the thermal radiation emitting element to emit thermal radiation for generating the thermal signature.

A thermal camouflage fabric has a first side and a second side and at least the first side of the fabric comprises a printed layer. The printed layer contains at least a first, second, and third color paste in a camouflage pattern. At least a portion of the first, second, and third color pastes are in discrete locations in the printed layer. The first, second, and third color pastes each contain at least one pigment, a plurality of metallic particles, and a binder. The first color paste contains at least about twice the amount by weight of metallic particles than the third color paste and the first color paste contains less pigment by weight than the third color paste.

An aircraft includes an airfoil and a hinge member to rotatably couple the airfoil to a structure of an aircraft. The hinge member defines at least a portion of a rotational axis. The aircraft also includes an indexing mechanism coupled to the airfoil and configured to, in a first state, inhibit rotation of the airfoil about the rotational axis, and in a second state, to permit rotation of the airfoil about the rotational axis between a first position and a second position that is angularly indexed relative to the first position. The aircraft further includes an actuator to selectively change a state of the indexing mechanism from the first state to the second state, from the second state to the first state, or both.

An active IR camouflage device may include a base layer, a first dielectric layer over the base layer, a phase transition material layer over the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer over the phase transition material layer, and a first metal layer over the second dielectric layer and defining a pattern of openings therein. The active IR camouflage device may have circuitry configured to selectively cause a transition from a first phase state to a second phase state of the phase transition material layer to control IR reflectance/emission of a top plasmonic layer, making it appear/disappear from the IR detector/camera. In some embodiments, the active IR camouflage device may also include a second metal layer between the base layer and the first dielectric layer.

An active IR camouflage device may include a base layer, a first dielectric layer over the base layer, a phase transition material layer over the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer over the phase transition material layer, and a first metal layer over the second dielectric layer and defining a pattern of openings therein. The active IR camouflage device may have circuitry configured to selectively cause a transition from a first phase state to a second phase state of the phase transition material layer to control IR reflectance/emission of a top plasmonic layer, making it appear/disappear from the IR detector/camera. In some embodiments, the active IR camouflage device may also include a second metal layer between the base layer and the first dielectric layer.

A camouflage pattern includes a plurality of shapes each having one of a plurality of base colors. Each shape has different portions having a different shade of the base color of that shape. An outermost portion extends around the shape and remaining portions are each surrounded by another portion of the portions. The shades of the base color may go from light to dark or from dark to light moving inwardly from the perimeter of the shape.